Treating hydrocarbon oils



April 1929. o. BEHIMER TREATING HYDROCARBON OILS Filed Aug. 11, 1925CUNDENSER Baz amvemto'c 1? A); Elwyn w Patente'd Apr. 16, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OTTO BEHIMER, OF PORT ARTHUR, TEXAS, ASSIGNOR, IBY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TOTHE TEXAS COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

TREATING HYDROOARIBON OILS.

Application filed August 11, 1925.

This invention relates to apparatus for treating hydrocarbon oils.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide means for pumping hotoil and for maintaining the pumping means in effective operatingcondition by maintaining the pump piston and packing relatively cool. Inone of its more specific aspects my invention contemplates the use of apump for pumping hot liquids and the provision of means for maintainingthe liquid in the pump at a relatively low temperature. Still morespecifically my invention provides means for introducing a coolingmedium into the pump for overcoming any increase of temperature of theoil, which is'or may be caused by convection of heat from the hotcondensate, or otherwise.

As a still further feature of my invention, I have provided a pumpconstructed with a surge line interposed between the valve chamber andthe piston cylinder for handling hot oils, which comprises a valvecasing or chamber and a pump cylinder separated from the valve casing bya column or columns of oil, and means for positively introducing intothe column of oil a cooling medium, such for example, as fresh chargingstock, for maintaining the liquid columns at a relatively lowtemperature.

My invention further contemplates the provision of means on the. surgeline adjacent the valve casing for preventing any material loss of heatthrough radiation.

Other objects, features and advantages of my invention will appear asthe detailed description thereof proceeds.

The illustrated example of my invention shows a pump for handling hotreflux or condensate from a condenser or dephlegmator. In carrying onthe decomposition or cracking of hydrocarbon oils it is sometimes soughtto subject the generated vapors to a condensing or fractionating ordephlegmating operation for the purpose of separatmg the heavierinsufficiently converted products from the lighter products, such asgasoline, and return the heavier products while still i in a heatedcondition to the cracking zone for retreatment. Difiiculty has beenexperienced in pumping the hot reflux or backtrap due to the fact thatgas sometimes accumulates in the lines of the pump so as to inter SerialNo. 49,503.

fere with its operation and the liquid in the pump connections andcylinder frequently becomes overheated. In the practice of my inventiona surge pump is employed to handle the hot reflux or backtrap'and arelatively cool oil, such as fresh charging stock, is introduced whennecessary into the surge lines so as to displace gas accumulated thereinand 7 so as to reduce the temperature of the liquid in,the surge linesand thus protect the pump mechanism from excessive heat. Theintroduction of the fresh charging stock has the further advantage thatsince this oil is ordinarily of a greater viscosity than the refluxcondensate being int'roducedby the surge pump.it is thus possible tomaintain in the surge lines and in contact with the moving elements ofthe pump mechanism an oil of better lubricating qualities than thereflux condensate being pumped back to the crackmg zone.

In Figure 1, I have shown diagrammatically a representative apparatusfor treating hydrocarbon oil, wherein my invention is employed.

Figure 2 is a diagrammatic plan view, somewhat enlarged, of a part ofthe apparatus shown in Figure 1, while Figure 3 is a view in elevationof one of the valve casings shown diagrammatically'in Figure 2, aportion of the casing having been broken away to show the details of thevalve structure.

Figure 4 is an enlarged view in elevation of a portion of the surgeline.

Referring to the drawing, and for the present more particularly toFigure 1, a charging pump 10 isshown having a connection leading to asource of oil supply. The discharge side of the pump connects with acharging line 11 which leads to a heating coil 12 in a furnace 13. Thefurnace 13 may be heated by meansof oil or gas burners, or otherwise,and the waste heat may, if desired, be passed to an economizer (notshown) to preliminarily heat the charging oil passing therethrough. Theoil in transit through the heating coil 12, may, if desired, be heatedto a cracking temperature. The heated oil is passed through a valvedpipe 14 and is discharged into a still 15, the still being positionedwithin a furnace 16 and maintained at a cracking temperature andpressure. If desired, the still may be insulated to prevent loss of heatand all of the heat required for the cracking operation supplied in theheating coils.

The vaporous products of decomposition and distillation are drawn fromthe still 15 through a valved vapor line 17 and are introduced into ,afractionating tower 18 wherein a separation of the high and low boilingfractions is efi ected. The vapors and gases remaining after theseparation are passed through a pipe 19 to a condenser box 20, theultimate distillate passing from the condensate box 20 to a receivingdrum 21. The drum is provided with a valved gas outlet 22 and a valvedliquid outlet 23.

The still is provided with a valved drawotl' line 24 which may, ifdesired, lead to a heat exchanger (not shown) for preliminarily heatingthe oil pumped through the charging line 11.

The fractionating tower 18 is provided with a valved draw-off line 25which leads to and connects with a manifold 26 having branches 27connecting with the inlet or suction sections of valve casings 28 of asurge pump indicated generally by the numeral 29. The outlet ordischarge connections of the several valve casings 28 are each connectedby a line or pipe 30 to a manifold 31 connecting with a backtrap line 32which connects with the charging line 11 and through which the backtrapfrom the fractionating tower 18, while still hot, is pumped into heatingcoil 12 for further treatment.

Each valve casing 28 is connected to one end of a surge line 33, theopposite ends of all of the surge lines being connected with theliquidend 34 of a steam pump indicated generally by the numeral 35. The steamend of the pump is indicated at 36, and a piston 37 reciprocates in theliquid end 34 to produce a surge of the liquid in the lines 33.

As shown in Figure 4, the surge line 33 is formed with an inclinedportion, the water jacketed portion of the line being at a lower levelthan the insulated portion. Thus, there is little tendency for the hotoil in the insulated section, which naturally tends to rise, to mix withthe cool oil in the lower water jacketed section, and accordingly thereis a decided conservation ofheat in the hot oil which effects a realeconomy in operation.

A. pipe 38 is connected at one end to the charging line 11 at aconvenient point intermediate the pump 10 and heating coil 12, the pipebeing provided with a valve 39. The opposite end of the pipe 38 may beconnected to one of the surge lines 33 and a branch pipe 40, controlledby a valve 41, may connect the pipe 38 with the other surge line 33 sothat it at any time during the operation of the pump there is anaccumulation of gas or light oil in the surge lines or the fluid becomesexcessively hot, or in danger of becoming too hot, the valve or valves39 or 41 may be opened a greater or less extent to permit any desiredquantity of the charging oil, prior to its being heated, to be pumpedinto either or both of the surge lines. Thus it is a simple matter tocontrol and regulate the temperature and character of the oil in thesurge lines 33 and by maintaining the oil at a relatively lowtemperature the pump packing is not subjected to undue heat, as itotherwise would be, and the life of the packing is thus prolonged andthe operating efficiency of the surge pump is increased accordingly.

The surge lines 33 are covered with suitable heat insulating material,as indicated at 42, at the ends connecting with the valve casing. Theinsulating material extends only throughout a portion of the length ofthe surge lines and prevents loss of heat from the hot fluid from thevalve casing as the fluid-is drawn into the surge line on the suctionstroke of the surge pump. The opposite end of the surge 1ine,--the endadjacent the steam pump 35,-is water acketed as at 43 to maintain thefluid in that end of the surge line relatively cool so that the fluiddrawn into the fluid end 34 of the pump will not impair the pumppacking.

The valve casings 28 are each provided with a lower passageway 44connecting with the pipe 27, an upper passageway 46 connecting with thepipe 30, and an intermediate passageway connecting with one of the surgelines 33. A port 47 is provided between the lower and intermediatepassageways 44 and 45, the port being provided with a suction valve 48.Another port 49 connects the intermediate and upper passageways 45 and46 and the port is provided with a pressure valve 50. On the suctionstroke of the surge pump the valve 48 opens and the hot condensate fromthe pipe 25 is drawn through the lower passageway 44 into theintermediate passageway 45. On the pressure stroke of the surge pump,the valve 48 closes, valve 50 opens, and the condensate is forced fromthe intermediate to the upper passageway and on through pipes 30, 31 andbacktrap line 32 to the heating coil 12.

The invention has been described specifi- 'cally herein with specialreference to that phase of the invention involving the cyclic return toa heating or cracking zone of reflux condensate obtained in thedecomposition of hydrocarbon oils and although the preferred embodimentof the invention has been set forth in connection with apparatus havinga particular construction and arrangement of parts and mode ofoperation, it is obvious that various changes and modifications may bemade therein, while securing to a greater or less extent some or all ofthe benefits of the invention, without departing from the spirit andscope thereof. Therefore, only such limitations should be imposed as areindicated inthe appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. Apparatus for treating hydrocarbon oils comprising a charging line, apump for forcing oil through the charging line, means for heating theoil in transit, a still wherein distillation of the heated oil iseffected, a fractionating tower for separating the vapors evolved in thestill, a surge pump having a surge line for pumping the hot condensatefrom the fractionating tower back to the heating means, and meansforpositively introducing a cooling medium into the surge line of the surgepump to maintain the liquid therein cooler than the oil being pumped.

2. Apparatus for treating hydrocarbon charging line, a still wherein theheated oil is treated, means for withdrawing products of the treatmentfrom the still, means for separating the lighter constituents of theproducts withdrawn as a final product, a surge pump having a surge linefor returning heavier constituents while still hot to the heating means,and means for introducing fresh charging stock from the charging lineinto the surge line to lower the temperature of the oil therein.

' In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this 6th dayof August, 1925.

OTTO BEHIMER.

